Police Investigate Suicide On I-270

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WUSA) - The death of a man who shot himself during a traffic stop along I-270 on Friday afternoon is being investigated, according to Maryland State Police.

The incident took place just after 4 p.m. and snarled rush hour traffic. A trooper patrolling I-270 northbound spotted a driver not wearing a seatbelt. The trooper pulled the car, a 1997 Ford Focus, over and the driver stopped on the right shoulder of the road.

As the trooper got out of his car, he heard a gun shot. After calling for backup units, the trooper called verbal commands to the driver, who was not responsive. The backup units arrived, the driver was asked to exit the vehicle and did not respond. Troopers approaching the car saw a handgun on the car's console and the unresponsive driver with a gunshot wound to the torso.

EMS staff provided emergency care but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The body will be taken to the Chief Medical Examiner's office in Baltimore for an autopsy.